• auzy@lemmy.world
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    2 hours ago

    You’re not wrong.

    These are the same people onsite who never take responsibility.

    Also, they’re willing to listen to children. Literally saw one yesterday comment on Facebook repeating the “kamala,” nonsense.

    Seriously, they act like children… Their dictator is literally a child, and no body in high school even would act this way

  • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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    5 hours ago

    I’m never happy and it didn’t turn me into a MAGA dipshit. I don’t think I’m even an asshole most of the time or at least I try not to be.

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      Maybe you should blame others more, especially foreigners, liberals, and education. Your problem is that you’re not blaming the right people.

    • whoisearth@lemmy.ca
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      4 hours ago

      I think the larger thing lacking is two-fold.

      1. Perspective. These people lack the ability to look at the world objectively and outside themselves to see the larger picture of where they fit in the world. They are unable or unwilling to comprehend anything remotely complex.

      2. Empathy. They are unable or unwilling to walk a step let alone a mile in anyone’s shoes but their own.

      • 【J】【u】【s】【t】【Z】@lemmy.world
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        1 hour ago

        On 1, someone pointed out to me that a lot of people who are susceptible to MAGA are people who don’t know what it is to be an expert on something.

        They don’t have PhDs and MDs and JDs in their social or peer groups. They assume everyone’s knowledge of complex things is as superficial and uncertain as their own; literally they do not recognize the difference between things stated as fact versus things stated as opinion. Their day-to-day practice, as far as anything complex, is to let their emotions rule; practice makes perfect.

        The thing they exercise most is their amygdala, and that’s why conservatism causes an enlargement of the amygdala.

  • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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    6 hours ago

    MAGA is popular for the same reason other nationalist, fascist movements have risen over the course of modern history: as a response to Capitalist decay. MAGA isn’t popular for genetic reasons, intellectual inferiority, or other reasons like that, but as a common class interest. All of the descriptors in the OP are consequences of the driving factor of class interests, not the drivers themselves.

    Fascism is most often represented as an alliance between the Petite Bourgeoisie and Bourgeoisie proper, driven by the Petite Bourgeoisie, as monopolization of Capital results in competition becoming more and more difficult, and the Petite Bourgeoisie faces Proletarianization. To prevent the Petite Bourgeoisie from joining the Proletariat in solidarity, the Bourgeoisie proper turns their hatred against the Proletariat and Lumpenproletariat.

    What does this all mean, in practical, American terms? Small business owners, landlords, ie the “middle class,” is shrinking in power, so the Small Business Owners are aligning with billionaires like Musk and Bezos against immigrants, workers, unhoused peopled, gender/sexual minorities, women, ethnic minorities, and more.

    How do we fix this? Grow the Petite Bourgeoisie and restore their position? Absolutely not! That’s when fascism is established. Trying to “turn the clock back to the good old days” results in dramatic reductions in worker rights and a solidification of power.

    What we need to do is establish Socialism. A victory of the Proletariat, a folding of the large monopolist syndicates into the public sector so they can be centrally planned for the public good, rather than privately planned for profit, is the way forward. This is the way to escape fascism’s rise. This is the way to defeat MAGA.

    I recommend reading the book Blackshirts and Reds, fascism’s irrationality has rational, material origins, that can be understood and defeated, and it isn’t in the “marketplace of ideas.”

    • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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      6 hours ago

      This is why the Left always loses.

      The Right puts forward a Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump. They give great speeches and stir up people’s emotions. The Left tells people to read a book.

      People still talk about Emma Goldman and Rosa Luxemburg because then understood this; they stirred the people up and got them excited.

      Instead of suggesting a book, why don’t you try naming an actual candidate that people can vote for? We’re going to have the 2026 election a lot sooner than we’re going to have a Socialist uprising.

      • Drivebyhaiku@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        It’s what this person does. Check their post history and you will see how often they flog that specific piece of literature.

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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          45 minutes ago

          Thanks, but I’ll just disengage.

          It’s sad but true that the Right falls in line while the Left waits to fall in love.

        • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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          1 hour ago

          I recommend many. Blackshirts is just the most relevant both for understanding fascism and contextualizing AES, as well as being more accessible than Marxist texts. I encourage liberals and left-leaning people to read theory constantly. Heck, here’s an “intro to Marxism reading list” I commented earlier today that another user requested I make.

      • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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        3 hours ago

        Instead of suggesting a book, why don’t you try naming an actual candidate that people can vote for?

        $16 billion was spent on the political campaigns of the 2020 election. $16 billion! Roughly $8 billion per party. The deeply uncomfortable truth is that the oligarch class has nearly full control over which candidates have the funds necessary to have any chance at winning an election. There are rare exceptions, sure, but most candidates are either oligarchs themselves like Trump or Bloomberg, or they have sold out completely to other oligarchs (like JD Vance belonging to Peter Thiel)

      • TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com
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        3 hours ago

        The Left beat Donald Trump. Even when Trump and his toadies cheated and staged a coup the Left beat his ass.

        The Left has skins on the wall. Don’t fucking forget it.

        • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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          3 hours ago

          The Left beat Donald Trump.

          Well, everyone to the left of fascism beat Trump. Biden, like all liberals / capitalists, are on the right as they always end up prioritizing profits before people.

          • ContriteErudite@lemmy.world
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            4 hours ago

            This is just my personal experience, but I think it reflects a larger issue. Younger people were not ‘too inconvenienced to actually go out and vote’; they wanted to support the party that they felt aligned most with their values, only to be ignored and betrayed in favor of the DNC’s neoliberal matriarch.

            Back in 2016, a group of us, mostly young people, caucused for Bernie Sanders. We had a strong turnout, with more people in our group than for any other candidate. The next largest group was for Hillary Clinton.

            The people running the caucus seemed to have their own agenda. They told those supporting other candidates that their choice was “nonviable” and that they needed to switch to a “viable” candidate. Then, they physically ushered them to stand with the Hillary group while they [the staffers] “figured things out”. Many of the attendees were first-time caucus-goers, so they didn’t know any better and assumed the staffers were just being helpful by directing them.

            For those of us who had caucused before, it was clear what was happening: the staffers were trying to inflate Hillary’s numbers. When we tried to speak up, we were told not to interfere or risk being removed.

            It was obvious to us that the DNC was working against Bernie, ensuring the nomination went to their chosen candidate. Even Trump acknowledged that Bernie would have been a tougher opponent to run against.

        • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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          6 hours ago

          Bernie would not have established Socialism either. Even if the DNC was in lock-step with Bernie, Bernie would have established a Social Democracy. Far better for the American people, but it would be a temporary solution just like FDR’s Social Democracy eroded over time.

          • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
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            3 hours ago

            just like FDR’s Social Democracy eroded over time.

            Unlike Lenin’s communism which was immune to capitalist propaganda and still exists today.

            • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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              3 hours ago

              I can explain what went right and what went wrong with the USSR, including the events leading to its dissolution and their material basis and what would be similar and what would be different if the US went Socialist, if you want, but the short response is that the Material Conditions of 2024 US Empire are fundamentally and entirely different to 1917 Tsarist Russia, and to compare them 1 to 1 is false.

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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          5 hours ago

          What happened?

          The Left failed to get out and support him 100%. Pete Buttigieg, Warren, and a dozen other candidates split the vote and the regular Dem establishment got the most middle of the road candidate they could.

          Which gets back to my original point. Instead of sitting around reading books and arguing about the Third International the Left should be a machine that can get people elected.

      • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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        6 hours ago

        The book is supplementary to the comment, I explained the big picture in my comment. Blackshirts and Reds isn’t a call to action or an explanation of what to do, but an examination of fascism and Communism, who they served historically, and the material basis for them.

        Voting for Harris won’t stop fascism, because it won’t stop Capitalist decay. You can even see her trying to appeal to small business owners, attempting to “turn the clock back,” in her own campaign. Neither will voting for Claudia De La Crúz, PSL’s candidate, nor will Stein, and obviously nor will Trump.

        Electoralism cannot solve the conditions giving rise to fascism.

        The answer is to join revolutionary orgs like the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) or Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). Only through organization outside the electoral system does the Proletariat have any hope of steering the ship and seizing the reigns.

        The Right puts forward a Ronald Reagan or Donald Trump. They give great speeches and stir up people’s emotions. The Left tells people to read a book.

        The US Empire is far-right, they can field candidates supporting the status quo in both the DNC and GOP. Liberalism is the status quo, taught from birth. Leftism requires reading, because they don’t teach it in school, they censor leftism and shun it. It’s a struggle, yes, but it’s a winnable one.

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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          6 hours ago

          Thanks for proving my point.

          I ask for one simple thing; a candidate that I can support. You couldn’t do that one tiny thing.

          Why don’t you try actually listening to what people want instead of telling them what they should do?

          • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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            6 hours ago

            If electoralism will not establish Socialism, what is the point of recommending a candidate? The best candidate you can vote for is Claudia De La Crúz, but she can’t get 270 votes to win, because she isn’t on enough state’s ballots. Stein will not establish Socialism, she’s a Social Democrat, and Harris is firmly right-wing. Trump is Trump, obviously he isn’t the answer either.

            Your desire for a simple “vote for this person and everything will be alright” does not exist.

            • jj4211@lemmy.world
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              The thing is there is nothing actionable at all in that rhetoric. There’s a lot of Marxist jargon and a lament that voting can never work, but the only guidance is “establish socialism” with no suggested actionable moves because we can’t just wave a wand and make that the case. If you can’t envision and recommend a democratic strategy to get there, you aren’t going to get anywhere near your objectives.

              • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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                5 hours ago

                The answer is to join revolutionary orgs like the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL) or Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO). Only through organization outside the electoral system does the Proletariat have any hope of steering the ship and seizing the reigns.

                There is no electoral strategy to get to Socialism because it’s nearly impossible, just like asking the board of directors to hand the reigns of the company to you.

                • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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                  22 minutes ago

                  The answer is to join revolutionary org

                  Why? When is the revolution going to happen? Where and when are we supposed to gather?

                • jj4211@lemmy.world
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                  4 hours ago

                  You advocate for letting others chose the government while just sitting out and protesting and hoping the people formally being given power by the voting system you say not to meaningfully participate in would heed those protests?

                  Or are you saying that such groups shall go beyond their stated methods and go to violent revolution, in which scenario I’d ask for a single example of “socialism” achieved through such ends that didn’t install a pretty terrible authitarian regime that merely took advantage of social unrest to seize power?

            • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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              6 hours ago

              You keep on proving my point.

              De La Cruz is unknown to 99.999% of the voters.

              AOC, a NY Congress member is known to almost all voters. Everyone has heard of the Squad.

              I’ve watched Socialists/Communists talk about the revolution since I was in middle school, and it’s always “just around the corner.”

              Like I said, why not try to get some people elected in the next cycle?

              • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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                6 hours ago

                Because electoralism cannot establish Socialism. The Squad are not Socialists, they are Social Democrats. The only Socialist you can vote for is Claudia De La Crúz, and she cannot win because she cannot get 270 votes.

                I am not “proving your point,” it is physically impossible to do what you’re suggesting.

                • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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                  5 hours ago

                  Guess what? 99.9% of the people in the country would be happy with having FDR’s New Deal back in place.

                  Again, you prove my point. You’d rather dream about an ideal Socialist state then work to make things better right now.

            • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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              6 hours ago

              What a smart way to build a powerful alliance.

              Attack someone who posts anything critical instead of even trying to engage.

    • AquaTofana@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      I believe they’re referring to canvassing for a politician. So like, knocking on doors and asking people if they’re registered to vote/offering to register unregistered people, talking to people about who theyre going to vote for and why, that sort of thing.

    • tetris11@lemmy.ml
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      5 hours ago

      my mother who works at a high-class nursery full of milfs, calls them yummy mummies and I think that’s a good name

      \end tangent

  • Sam_Bass@lemmy.world
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    shouldve recorded all their names so they can all be properly routed to russia after the election

  • pyrflie@lemm.ee
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    The moment you understand that MAGA is the party of hate is the moment you understand this election. It explains both Islamic and Latino support for Republicans. They were betrayed by Democrats, and are willing to let the rest of us hang for it. I hope selling out for the center Republicans was worth destroying the demographic coalition.

    • quicksand@lemm.ee
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      9 hours ago

      My wife is Indonesian Muslim, hates Kamala for what we’re doing in Palestine and told me not to vote for her. I’m still voting for Kamala but man that was a hard conversation I never would have expected. Seems like the military owns everything these days

      • ilhamagh@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        Oof, that must be a weird conversation. Am Indonesian.

        Any conversation touching Islam adjacent lost any nuance with the general population more often than not . Not saying your wife is one, but let’s be honest the education quality here is abysmal and at the same time we’re number 1 muslim by population. Also our “Netizen” is notorious for wrongly attacking any issue they misunderstood.

        One of our top singer got berated nationwide because she wore a skirt with a random arabic text in it, people thought it was a Holy script and she’s Christian.

        I kid you not one election season I saw an angry mob with a banner that said USA = COMMUNIST !!

        Most have hard enough time just to get by day to day so I get it, they take anything to blame. With corruption top to bottom it’s a sad state all around. I’m grateful it’s still a relatively peaceful affair though, at least here in Java.

      • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        The hard part is, she gets to pick between genocide, and genocide with fewer rights for women.

        I don’t understand why she’d pick the latter, but anger does crazy things.

        • MellowYellow13@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          In defense Kamala is actively in power with Biden and has had many chances to voice and make change on this issue and she hasn’t. We know what we will get with Kamala, and it’s a lot like Biden all over again

          • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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            4 hours ago

            We also know what we’d get with Trump. He’s pretty forward about wanting Israel to finish the genocide quicker.

          • Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world
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            5 hours ago

            Well, seeing a lot of the positives Biden has done, or tried to do but the repubs shut down purely out of spite, I’m still fully voting for Kamala.

        • pyrflie@lemm.ee
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          6 hours ago

          It’s “I’m fucked” vs “I’m fucked and those that fucked me die too”.

      • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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        7 hours ago

        My wife is Indonesian Muslim, hates Kamala for what we’re doing in Palestine and told me not to vote for her. I’m still voting for Kamala

        Have you considered having solidarity with your wife? Did you convince her to vote Kamala, or is this still a wedge issue? Or are you not even telling her?

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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          20 minutes ago

          Have you considered having solidarity with your wife?

          Have you ever considered that people aren’t a hive mind?

        • barsquid@lemmy.world
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          6 hours ago

          Your copy/pasted comment is telling people to defeat MAGA with socialism. But first let’s get it to hard mode by having MAGAs take over and do Project 2025, right?

          • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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            6 hours ago

            A Socialist revolution is “hard mode” whether the Democrats or Republicans are in charge, I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that the establishment parties would be any friendlier or more hostile to a literal revolution.

            I also don’t know why you’re saying I am suggesting voting for Trump either, not once have I encouraged it.

            • barsquid@lemmy.world
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              6 hours ago

              Only one of two people will win. You’re asking this person if they considered voting against the less awful choice.

              I’m sure we’re both pissed off about how protesters are treated right now. Only one of two parties is saying we need National Guard, deport the protesters, that presidents can execute whomever as an Official Act, that the military should be used against the opposition over speech.

              Yeah, so go with your “nach Trump kommen Wir” plan, it will be equally hard to achieve socialism either way, NBD. Not sure why it isn’t, “equally hard either way so let’s pick the ones at least pretending women and LGBT people should have human rights,” but you do you.

      • pyrflie@lemm.ee
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        9 hours ago

        It’s gonna get harder. Especially if you guys have kids.

        • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          They’re both the party of genocide. No matter what, your next president does genocide. Your vote helps decide which you get to protest under.

          • Ultraviolet@lemmy.world
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            And you’d at least get to protest under Harris. Trump openly wants to go Tiananmen Square on you if you protest.

          • youreascum@leminal.space
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            7 hours ago

            The rest of the world is looking at the US with contempt right now. Far-right germany, britains and the aussies are the only allies you have left. Fuck you.

          • youreascum@leminal.space
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            7 hours ago

            But you won’t. Nobody’s accountable. Nobody was accountable for iraq. Nobody was accountable for lybia. Your country lies and lies and you’re too cowardy to face the criminals unless they are poor ghettos black people. They can create war out of lies and destroy countless lives, not only are they free but they get media attention to endorse whichever warcrimers gonna suck dicks next.

            You make me sick.

            • surewhynotlem@lemmy.world
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              4 hours ago

              So you’re saying Americans should those up against the two party system. So, a revolution. Overthrow the system. Which means killing each other. And oddly, every violent revolution ever has ended up with a more authoritarian result.

              So your plan to reduce the killing in Palestine is… More killing in the US followed by a US regime that would help Israel finish the job faster?

              • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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                3 hours ago

                Historically, revolution has resulted in more democratization and less “authoritarianism.” From the brutal Tsarist Regime in Russia, to the fascist slaver Batista regime in Cuba, to the nationalist Kuomintang regime in China, revolution reduced inequality and gave more power to the people compared to their absolute squalor before.

                Read Blackshirts and Reds.

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            7 hours ago

            Not a yank. Don’t care. Too late anyway the damage is done I hope you guys pays for the support for genocide.

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      It’s the dixiecrats after we took the one thing they loved: Jim Crow and their ability to be superior to anyone who isn’t white.

      We even dared to elect a black person president over them, they will NEVER forgive us for that, it went against everything they believe in.

      You don’t understand, to them this is justice for our unimaginable crimes against them, we took the only thing they had in life.

      • Thebeardedsinglemalt@lemmy.world
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        5 hours ago

        And that’s how the orange turd built a cult…but constantly whining and complaining when Obama was elected. 8 years of slowly stroking the flames, birther crap, pointing out every single minor inconvenience and a failure of the president.

        • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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          4 hours ago

          You don’t understand them.

          He was a MAN, he counted, well, when they didn’t call him a monkey.

          A woman can be dismissed, anything she does will be considered impotent and meaningless, it doesn’t matter.

          The south has its own logic, you can’t understand without going back 200 years in time.

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        Yes that explains the South and the Aryan Nations in the NW. They were a given in this scenario. I have plenty of experience and a little too much understanding of both.

        Party of Hate. For them it’s racial, religious, and cultural.

  • jonne@infosec.pub
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    17 hours ago

    I thought this was always obvious. His whole appeal was ‘he says it like it is’ and ‘he’s brave enough to say what we’re all thinking’.

    That’s why scandals didn’t affect him, he never pretended to be virtuous like most of the other Republicans do.

    A third of people in any society have authoritarian tendencies and will vote for the strong man ‘that will set everything straight’, and it’s always a failure of mainstream politicians that allows these people to get into power (either by not motivating the other 70% to vote for their project, being too divided, or by going into a coalition with that party).

    • Wrench@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      Details are confusing. These people like “I’ll fix all your problems” with no actual substance, and then when their problems are not solved, they like hearing “it’s the Jews Immigrants fault”.

      Solutions are not even desired by these people, just a scapegoat for all their woes.

      • jonne@infosec.pub
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        16 hours ago

        Yeah, it’s not about solutions. It’s about punishing the ‘other’. Deflecting from the actual source of everyone’s economical backsliding (the billionaires skimming money off every part of economic activity).

        • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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          6 hours ago

          MAGA is popular for the same reason other nationalist, fascist movements have risen over the course of modern history: as a response to Capitalist decay. MAGA isn’t popular for genetic reasons, intellectual inferiority, or other reasons like that, but as a common class interest. All of the descriptors in the OP are consequences of the driving factor of class interests, not the drivers themselves.

          Fascism is most often represented as an alliance between the Petite Bourgeoisie and Bourgeoisie proper, driven by the Petite Bourgeoisie, as monopolization of Capital results in competition becoming more and more difficult, and the Petite Bourgeoisie faces Proletarianization. To prevent the Petite Bourgeoisie from joining the Proletariat in solidarity, the Bourgeoisie proper turns their hatred against the Proletariat and Lumpenproletariat.

          What does this all mean, in practical, American terms? Small business owners, landlords, ie the “middle class,” is shrinking in power, so the Small Business Owners are aligning with billionaires like Musk and Bezos against immigrants, workers, unhoused peopled, gender/sexual minorities, women, ethnic minorities, and more.

          How do we fix this? Grow the Petite Bourgeoisie and restore their position? Absolutely not! That’s when fascism is established. Trying to “turn the clock back to the good old days” results in dramatic reductions in worker rights and a solidification of power.

          What we need to do is establish Socialism. A victory of the Proletariat, a folding of the large monopolist syndicates into the public sector so they can be centrally planned for the public good, rather than privately planned for profit, is the way forward. This is the way to escape fascism’s rise. This is the way to defeat MAGA.

          I recommend reading the book Blackshirts and Reds, fascism’s irrationality has rational, material origins, that can be understood and defeated, and it isn’t in the “marketplace of ideas.”

          • drphungky@lemmy.world
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            3 hours ago

            Jesus Christ stop spamming the same regurgitated Marxist post everywhere. At least reformulate your “socialism is the solve to everything!” post in a couple ways, or just only post it once per thread.

            • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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              6 hours ago

              No problem! I encourage reading the book I linked if you want to understand the materialist basis for fascism and Communism historically, fascism’s irrationality is born from rational class interests, and in knowing what causes fascism we can know how to stop it.

    • Cyrus Draegur@lemm.ee
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      16 hours ago

      He really is an accurate representative for his base: the worst scum sucking garbage alive.

  • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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    14 hours ago

    they are selfish.

    That’s where all of those symptoms stem from.

    selfish greed.

    • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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      6 hours ago

      MAGA is popular for the same reason other nationalist, fascist movements have risen over the course of modern history: as a response to Capitalist decay. MAGA isn’t popular for genetic reasons, intellectual inferiority, or other reasons like that, but as a common class interest. All of the descriptors in the OP are consequences of the driving factor of class interests, not the drivers themselves.

      Fascism is most often represented as an alliance between the Petite Bourgeoisie and Bourgeoisie proper, driven by the Petite Bourgeoisie, as monopolization of Capital results in competition becoming more and more difficult, and the Petite Bourgeoisie faces Proletarianization. To prevent the Petite Bourgeoisie from joining the Proletariat in solidarity, the Bourgeoisie proper turns their hatred against the Proletariat and Lumpenproletariat.

      What does this all mean, in practical, American terms? Small business owners, landlords, ie the “middle class,” is shrinking in power, so the Small Business Owners are aligning with billionaires like Musk and Bezos against immigrants, workers, unhoused peopled, gender/sexual minorities, women, ethnic minorities, and more.

      How do we fix this? Grow the Petite Bourgeoisie and restore their position? Absolutely not! That’s when fascism is established. Trying to “turn the clock back to the good old days” results in dramatic reductions in worker rights and a solidification of power.

      What we need to do is establish Socialism. A victory of the Proletariat, a folding of the large monopolist syndicates into the public sector so they can be centrally planned for the public good, rather than privately planned for profit, is the way forward. This is the way to escape fascism’s rise. This is the way to defeat MAGA.

      I recommend reading the book Blackshirts and Reds, fascism’s irrationality has rational, material origins, that can be understood and defeated, and it isn’t in the “marketplace of ideas.”

      • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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        That’s a modern take that doesn’t really hold up to any scrutiny since there was conservatism before capitalism.

        It’s a convenient rallying cry of people who prefer socialism as they understand it, but the direct comparison doesn’t hold any historical water.

        mega fits into capitalism and socialist. I think they’re such broad concepts, but definitely not the instigating concepts of fascism are conservatism.

        I remember that book, it’s older right? I read it in college or high school at some point.

        • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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          Conservativism isn’t the same as fascism. Reactionary movements have existed in every form of Class Society, when Capitalism overtook Feudalism it was the holdover Monarchist movements. It isn’t a “convenient rallying cry,” but an analysis of reactionary vs progressive social movements driven by class interests.

          mega fits into capitalism and socialist

          I have no idea what this means. Why do you think MAGA is Socialist?

          I remember that book, it’s older right? I read it in college or high school at some point.

          Written in the 90s, you should revisit it.

          • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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            5 hours ago

            “Reactionary movements have existed in every form of Class Society, when Capitalism overtook Feudalism it was the holdover Monarchist movements.”

            and before class society!

            "an analysis of reactionary vs progressive social movements driven by class interests. "

            blaming capitalism for literally everything, especially in a meme, is simple aggressive fomenting.

            superficial demonization encourages a riot, not a movement, although it’s easy to confuse the two when your blood is pumping and everyone around you is screaming the same facile slogan.

            • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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              5 hours ago

              and before class society!

              What “reactionary” movements existed in tribal societies devoid of distinct classes?

              blaming capitalism for literally everything, especially in a meme, is simple aggressive fomenting.

              I blame Capitalism for Capitalism’s issues, not literally everything.

              superficial demonization encourages a riot, not a movement, although it’s easy to confuse the two when your blood is pumping and everyone around you is screaming the same facile slogan.

              I have no idea what point you’re actually making.

              • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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                3 hours ago

                “What “reactionary” movements existed in tribal societies devoid of distinct classes?”

                tribal societies specifically?

                exactly how far are you narrowing societies you want examples of reactionary movements in down to?

                like you want a specific century and a specific type of society? instead of just any non-capitalist society?

                how are you defining capitalism?

                are you ignoring the contemporary Amish and other people who oppose change out of principle for no capitalist reason?

                "I blame Capitalism for Capitalism’s issues, not literally everything. "

                you’re lumping conservative human behavior that exists independent of capitalism with actual examples of direct capitalist problems like mortgage crises.

                your brush is too broad.

                "I have no idea what point you’re actually making. "

                yelling “socialism is the best and capitalism causes all the problems” at the people yelling “capitalism is the best and socialism causes all the problems” isn’t exactly dignifying your stance with a sense of legitimacy.

                • Cowbee [he/him]@lemmy.ml
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                  3 hours ago

                  tribal societies specifically?

                  Yes, after tribal societies came the first class-based societies. You said reactionary movements predate class society, tell me.

                  how are you defining capitalism?

                  An economic mode of production centered around commodity production through competing Capitalists in markets who employ wage-labor, seeking greater and greater accumulation. This process is only a few hundred years old.

                  are you ignoring the contemporary Amish and other people who oppose change out of principle for no capitalist reason?

                  The Amish participate in Capitalism. Culture is a reflection of the Mode of Production.

                  you’re lumping conservative human behavior that exists independent of capitalism with actual examples of direct capitalist problems like mortgage crises.

                  I am speaking of class interests.

                  yelling “socialism is the best and capitalism causes all the problems” at the people yelling “capitalism is the best and socialism causes all the problems” isn’t exactly dignifying your stance with a sense of legitimacy.

                  Where are you seeing this?

    • OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml
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      12 hours ago

      Lots of them are, but it’s stupid comments like this which make me shake my head. The left will lose 2024 with their fake moral superiority and fail to understand what happened.

      Again.

      • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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        11 hours ago

        get your maga out of here.

        *The left will lose 2024 with their fake moral superiority…"

        it is not a fake moral superiority, the left has a practical moral superiority demonstrated by material policy that positively affects the lives of people.

        The left beat you in 2020 because of their tangible moral superiority by providing civil protections and material assets for the rights of the electorate.

        conservatives are legally trying and succeeding in stealing the rights, liberties and property of Americans.

        Americans don’t like that, and voted to the left.

        they’re fighting back by prosecuting and removing the selfish conservatives who are harming people, and are creating laws and funds protecting everyone,

        civil rights are not a “fake” moral superiority, they are a tangible moral superiority effected through practical, respectful policy.

        • EvilHaitianEatingYourCat@lemmy.world
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          10 hours ago

          The smug feeling of moral superiority and the continuous willingness to correct the other’s behaviour is THE reason why people can’t stand “left/wokism/whatever”. Continously pointing out on fake “offensive words” just to show off how morally superior they are.

          That how it looks from outside.

          (For context i am not American and don’t guve a fuck about orange man neither for so called “christian values” so don’t try to paint me as a conservative MAGA supporter.)

          • socsa@piefed.social
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            7 hours ago

            So you think that being an asshole and holding the country hostage is a reasonable response to being scolded? Like a literal fucking toddler?

          • Varyk@sh.itjust.works
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            9 hours ago

            “moral superiority and the continuous willingness to correct the other’s behaviour”

            it is tangible practical moral superiority coming from the protection and support of civil rights and liberty.

            rather than taking away employee rights, the left is giving employees rights.

            rather than taking away minority rights, the left is legally protecting minority rights.

            those are not imaginary feelings, those are practical and effective policies.

            "The smug feeling of moral superiority and the continuous willingness to correct the other’s behaviour is THE reason why people can’t stand “left/wokism/whatever”. Continously pointing out on fake “offensive words” just to show off how morally superior they are. "

            this is largely your imagination and pointed conservative media and a poor excuse for selfish people to continue abusing vulnerable people for their own gain.

            offensive words are not fake, and there’s nothing wrong with being considerate toward everyone.

            the fact that you don’t understand haven’t considered the difference between protected civil liberties and imaginary fake word hunts from the left (that are actually perpetrated by conservatives banning books from libraries) demonstrates exactly how successful the conservative media you consume is.

            consider what you’re saying, consider the information around you.

            anybody accusing the left of instigating moral panics while the right is literally banning books in libraries over words that they don’t like or understand clearly doesn’t have even the most tenuous comprehension of what is really happening.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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    18 hours ago

    The aversion to reading is always a red flag for me. Reading is a pillar of human intelligence.

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      For me it depends, reading books is hard for me because it feels like a chore that never ends. Even if it is a thrilling story, it’s just hard for me to focus for long enough to make any progress. Might be ADHD idk. But at least I keep reading news articles and other things that are relevant, because obviously I want to stay informed about what’s happening in the world, especially when elections are around the corner.

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      I don’t find reading books appealing. But I do look up things I am curious about and read few news articles I come across. Reading a book isn’t the only way to gain knowledge but if they aren’t reading/learning about anything then that’s a problem.

  • Cryophilia@lemmy.world
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    I am so, so glad Democrats have finally woken up to the fact that Republicans are not just misinformed Democrats. There’s no amount of facts we can throw at them to make them stop being terrible people. They’re not going to suddenly go “oh my God, I was wrong!” This is who they are.

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      My take is that with Harris courting endorsements from many formerly rank-and-file Republicans, this drives the point home. If anybody is still confused that Trump’s party is VERY different from what the Republican Party used to be, the Cheney’s endorsing her should settle that. Anybody still unconvinced is wilfully ignorant at minimum.

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        If anybody is still confused that Trump’s party is VERY different from what the Republican Party used to be, the Cheney’s endorsing her should settle that.

        And then you have the braindead .MLs who argue that awful people supporting the normal candidate over the fascist means we really need to rethink our support for the normal candidate 🙄

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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      They’re dixiecrats, they used to be the worst part of the democrats before LBJ dared to sign civil rights, an unforgivable sin.

    • kofe@lemmy.world
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      Honestly I wonder how much reading comprehension they struggle with. Like the average reading level is 8th grade, if that iirc. I swear they drop out as soon as there are big words cuz they get pissed they can’t understand. People that lean left are clinically shown to be more* (not not) open minded, and I imagine are the ones going and googling when they don’t know or have someone right there they trust to explain.

      • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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        13 hours ago

        Something like half of US adults cannot read at a 6th grade level. That’s like reading for plot. That’s reading a couple paragraphs about like “Sally moved to New Jersey from Maine when she was 17. She went to college at NYU, where she met her future husband Jake. They got married and now have two children.” -> “Where did Sally meet her husband?”. A lot of people struggle with that. And we kind of expect them to keep up with politics.

        Some of that is their fault. They don’t try. They don’t want to be literate. But a lot of it is a failure of our public education system. But that is largely the fault of conservatives who don’t want to fund it.

        You’re also not going to find a lot of those people on a platform like this that’s mostly written, and where the norms generally a somewhat high level of diction that adheres to standard english.

      • EldritchFeminity@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        17 hours ago

        It’s an emotional thing. They base their beliefs about how the world works based on what makes them feel better about themselves. Everything else is just backtracking from the conclusion to find a justification for it. And anything that doesn’t fit that narrative gets thrown away or ignored.

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          10 hours ago

          The odd part is how often that works. Like, I went to work Monday through Friday, therefore I should go to work on Saturday, right? That’s… that’s… that’s… not how that works, or at least not how it is supposed to. And by extension, humanity has survived on earth for my entire lifetime and for many others besides, so s-s-surely this is not the end for our species? (based on what evidence though?)

          Though at some point we see that the level of cognitive dissonance is far too high to be explainable purely by lack of intelligence - (almost) nobody is that dumb. And also there are literally people with PhDs and even MDs who were prescribing Ivermectin rather than the COVID vaccine, so it’s not something that correlates perfectly with “intelligence” as in logical acuity, rather than emotional whatever (agility I think is the current term?).

          The era of information is over, where people are considered “smart” if they know more things or can do more. Now we are entering a new era, seemingly characterized by not merely misinformation but active sources of disinformation. Now, survival of the fittest depends not only on individual emotional agility but also extensible to one’s “tribe”, as in when presented with two mutually exclusive set of facts, which one will someone choose to believe? (On the one hand we have 1+1=2, while on the other, we can hear words literally from someone’s actual mouth, but the talking heads can manage to convince people that they did not see what they saw or hear what they heard and definitely what was meant was not meant - I’m saying that some people might legit be too dumb to live, sorry if that seems unkind, it distresses me too but if it is what it is, therefore…, =2 it is then).

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        16 hours ago

        If I had to categorize myself I would say that I am a pragmatic idealist.

        I have a concept of a world where people tend to work together and generally operate in methods and manners that are mutually beneficial for the betterment of all.

        That idealism is tempered by my pragmatic understanding that stupidity is praised and given friendships and social connections because no matter how many smart people there are the stupid people will always outnumber them.

        And the stupid people don’t know that they are stupid.

        So you cannot pretend that things will work out the way you think they will because no matter how stupid you think the people are around you they are far more stupid than that.

        They will destroy you and themselves just to prove to you that being smart and capable is not enough to succeed in the world.

        They will do horrendous things to you in order to prove to you that people do horrendous things to people.

        And they truly in their heart of hearts and soul of souls before the Lord God Almighty believe they are doing the right thing when they do it.

        My politics are left but my optimism is non-existent.

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          I do want to add to that very quickly that I do not believe that this stupidity is tied to IQ.

          My sister has an IQ in the 160 to 180 range and she’s the dumbest motherfucker I’ve ever met in my entire life. She is sadistic and enjoys destroying happiness and joy and anything that she can get her hands on while she herself has accomplished nothing and done nothing with her life. She’s willfully and intelligently stupid, so don’t assume that just because somebody is smart that they are not stupid.

        • OpenStars@discuss.online
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          If I may? I think there is room for hope, but it depends on where you place that hope. For instance, I don’t believe that democracy will prevail in the USA for much longer - setting aside the Russian Roulette that we play every single time (more often than 4 years bc Congress), there is still that SCOTUS ruling that has already given the sitting President the power to legally assassinate their political rivals. The wheel keeps turning, and the ratchet keeps it always moving forwards towards the grand design of those who have power to implement such things.

          But while there may be no more hope for that, what will come afterwards? People will still need things - so farmers will still farm, service members will still serve, scientists will still learn about the world, etc. Granted, much of that will be replaceable with automation, but e.g. the internet did not completely replace books, and this next transition too will be harsh but something will carry forward.

          And since we do not know what or how etc., I adopt an attitude of “we don’t know”, rather than either pessimism or optimism. But since hope is mandatory for human existence, I also choose to have it (plus if I’m wrong, humanity will cease to exist, so who would be left to care anyway? it is definitely a win-win bet for me there:-P).

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    16 hours ago

    I’ve gotten a disturbing number of messages on grindr from men that are hard core right wing, yet are on a gay dating app. The level of hate, ignorance, and cognitive dissonance is unprecedented. And it’s all fueled by highly addictive apps, and pumped at unimaginable scales thanks to AI.

    I hate to say it, but I think this really is the end.

    • mostdubious@lemmy.world
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      13 hours ago

      nah. at any given time, we (the good guys) can easily defeat the bad guys. it’s pretty fucking simple. you just have to organize, understand the problem, and be willing to think outside the box.

      i think we’ve just been using the wrong tools. i think all we really need is encrypted messaging and [redacted].

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    16 hours ago

    A lot of them feel betrayed/wronged by the system, or by lleft leaning/progressive politics.

    That’s why they don’t mind Trump’s wrongdoings. They see things like his felony mugshot and think “he’s been betrayed and attacked by the system just like me!”…

    …a lot of it is emotional for them, and it’s a difficult mindset they’re unlikely to leave behind.

    Still at least it’s a better ratio than in places like Israel, where the vast majority of the population are far-right (many of whom are conspiracy theory inclined, particularly when it comes to the assassination of their former PM Yitzhak Rabin).

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        13 hours ago

        That scene gets more and more perfect every year. Tho the worst morons dont actually work or live on the land, they live in the suburbs and drive around in their monster trucks that have never been off road or hauled jack shit in the beds